


oh my god, they were quarantined

by scarlettroses



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coming Out, Drinking, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Secret Relationship, but... the opposite, cursing, good ol small-town homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarlettroses/pseuds/scarlettroses
Summary: "No, I actually didn't hear you," says Jack, climbing off his own bed to come lay on top of Davey. "What's the matter?"Davey sighs heavily as he realizes just how much of a mess they've gotten themselves into."My family doesn't know I'm gay."-in which it’s the OPPOSITE of a fake dating au— jack and davey have been kicked out of their dorms because of the pandemic, and they’re committed to playing “just friends” while quarantined with davey’s family. what could go wrong?
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Comments: 130
Kudos: 336





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so is anyone else getting insanely bored in quarantine? like, it’s getting so bad that i’m starting a chaptered fic, which is crazy (and knowing me, the pandemic will be over by the time i actually finish this lmao)
> 
> this will hopefully only be like 4-5 chapters and i’m actually really excited for it, so hopefully that means updates should be pretty quick!

"So, did you get the email?"

Davey has just arrived back from his night class, which he despises— who the hell puts a two hour biochemistry lecture at 7pm?— and he drops his backpack on the floor, cringing at the _thud_ his laptop makes when it hits the ground.

Jack hasn't moved since Davey left for class, still hunched over some painting he's been working on, but he looks up, startled, and pulls an earbud out. 

"What email? I haven't checked my phone in like an hour. What happened?"

Davey groans as he throws himself onto his bed, which is only a couple of steps from the door in their tiny dorm.

"They're evacuating the whole campus because of the fucking _coronavirus_." He grabs a pillow and tosses it in the air, catching it against his chest. "They want us out of our dorms by Sunday."

While the news is disappointing and inconvenient— college is fun and Davey would quite like to finish the semester the way he planned— he hadn't really expected Jack to... panic.

"Wait, _what_?" Jack rips his headphones out and turns to face Davey. "They're kicking us out?"

Davey shrugs, still laying on his back and hugging a pillow.

"To like... limit the spread, or whatever. Apparently this virus doesn't fuck around. They're sending us all home, and we have to do online classes to finish the term."

Jack is silent for a long moment, which is concerning enough that Davey eventually sits up to see what's going on. He can practically see the gears turning in Jack's head as he stares at the floor, clearly trying to think something through.

"Are you okay?"

There's no response for a moment, but then Jack takes a deep breath and shakes his head.

"Where am I supposed to _go_?" he asks, incredulously. "They can't just send us _home_ — some of us don't have anywhere else to live!"

Davey... hadn't really considered that. He'd been a little annoyed at the prospect of moving back in with his parents in small-town upstate New York, but for Jack, this is more than just that. He'd aged out of foster care when he turned eighteen in October, so he's really and truly on his own. Living on campus with a scholarship and financial aid is all he has.

"You could call Medda?" offers Davey. "I mean, sure you're not technically _her kid_ anymore, but she's such a great lady. From what you've told me, it sounds like she really cares. I'm sure she'd let you come back."

Jack bites his lip nervously and picks his phone up from where it had been sitting on his desk.

"I don't wanna intrude, though," he sighs. "She's brought in two more kids since I left, she's got a full house. I'd feel bad asking her to make room for me."

Davey hums in thought. That's fair, he supposes. Jack had grown up with four younger foster siblings and now two more are added to the mix? Medda certainly keeps herself busy.

"I think they could make exceptions about staying here— like if you talk to someone in charge about it, they might be keeping some of the dorms open. I mean, I'm sure international students can't just leave. They'll have to let some people stay."

Jack sighs. The idea of staying behind in a near-empty dorm building is entirely unappealing, Davey knows, but it's looking like it might be the only option. Not only that, but not being able to see each other is going to suck. If only there was a way to... _wait_.

"Come home with me!" Davey bounces right up off the bed in excitement as the realization strikes him. "We have plenty of room!"

Well, that's a slight exaggeration— there's a good chance Sarah will come home too, so that means including Jack, there'd be six of them crammed together. But that's not too bad, they've got a decent little house in a nice little town, and though there's no real guest bedroom, there _is_ a couch in the basement that folds out and converts to a bed, so it should be fine, Davey's sure.

"I couldn't," says Jack, though he can't help but laugh at how excited Davey has gotten. "No, don't jump up and down! _David_! I'm not— I wouldn't feel right intruding on your family, I can't— put that phone down! You're calling your mom aren't you!?"

Davey bats Jack's hands away as he dials his parents' home phone number. That's it, he's got his mind set on this. He jumps back onto his bed and uses his legs to defend himself from Jack's attack.

"You're too polite," giggles Davey, before pressing the call button. "It's fine. My parents will love you, you're not intruding! It'll be fun!"

" _Davey_!" groans Jack, but he gives up and sits down on his own bed. "You're ridiculous."

"Mama! Hi! I miss you!" Davey presses his phone to his ear and sticks his tongue out at Jack. "So you're never gonna believe this..."

A remarkably short phone call later, Davey has secured the couch-bed for Jack to stay for a while. They'd planned to get a place in the city together with some roommates at the end of the semester anyways, so maybe if things have cleared up by then, they can still make it work. For the time being, this shouldn't be too bad.

"David..." says Jack, as soon as the call is over, and there's something about his amused tone that makes Davey feel like he's going to be made fun of. "So I'm insanely grateful for your offer and all, but I have to ask... did I just get friend-zoned?"

Davey instantly pales. Shit. He hadn't thought this plan through.

It's an instinct by now to refer to Jack as a friend when he's talking to to his parents. He'd gone through that whole phone call without even realizing— Jack is certainly not his _friend_. That's a label they haven't used in a long time.

"Oh no," groans Davey, dropping his phone on his sheets and rolling over to hide his face in a pillow. " _I'm not out to my family yet_."

"What?"

Davey rolls back over, flopping an arm dramatically across his eyes.

"I know it's bad," he sighs. "I was really gonna do it over winter break, but—"

"No, I actually didn't hear you," says Jack, climbing off his own bed to come lay on top of Davey. "What's the matter?"

Davey sighs heavily as he realizes just how much of a mess they've gotten themselves into.

"My family doesn't know I'm gay."

-

They deliberate as they start to pack their stuff.

"We can pull this off," says Jack, way too confidently. "Just a couple of guys being dudes. I still have that _Saturdays Are For The Boys_ flag that Spot gave me— we can hang it up in your room and you'll be a totally convincing straight boy!"

Davey isn't so sure. He's grown a lot more confident in his identity since leaving for college, and he has to admit that he's become a bit... limp-wristed, if you will. He's not exactly subtle anymore. From his mannerisms to how he dresses— he's fairly certain Sarah figured it out over winter break, but she hasn't said anything yet.

It's not that he thinks his family would react particularly _badly_ to his sexuality, it's just that his parents are rather old-fashioned and might not be very happy about it. He knows he's not going to be disowned or anything, and he's thankful for that, he's just irrationally scared of the awkwardness and tension that might come with them knowing, as well as the potential for them to take it worse than he'd expected.

"Guys being dudes," Davey echoes, like he's trying to manifest that energy. "This is fine."

Sensing how stressed Davey is, Jack quickly changes the topic.

"Maybe we should drink some of our alcohol so we don't have to pack it," he offers, opening the drawer that they'd craftily installed a false bottom in to hide their liquor stash from RAs. "I think there's a couple cans of Sprite in the mini fridge, and we've got half a bottle of vodka in here we could mix it with. There's also Fireball and a little thing of rum— take your pick."

Davey laughs as he tries to organize his physiology notes to make all his homework fit in his backpack.

"Let's use up that vodka. Fuck it, party time."

"Hell yeah!" laughs Jack, pulling the vodka out and holding it above his head. "Last night at college, baby!"

-

They're spectacularly hungover the next morning.

They don't normally share a bed— these tiny twin beds are bit too small to get comfortable together— but Davey wakes up to the weight of Jack laying on his chest, still passed out. His head is pounding and the sunlight at the window is burning his eyes, but the fun last night was worth the pain he's in now.

What had started as sharing a couple drinks as they packed had turned into a full-blown party in the halls as the rest of their floor seemed to have the same idea. The RAs had even joined in, since it's not like anyone can get in trouble for partying when they all have to leave within a couple of days anyways. Davey had blacked out, which isn't something he usually does, but the stress of having to go home and climb back into the closet had really gotten to him.

He vaguely remembers giving Jack a lap dance while Race and Crutchie cheered him on— he really shouldn't drink like that if he's going to get so embarrassing. At least it was fun, though, and they won't be back here until the fall, so he doesn't have to show his face for a while.

Jack is snoring away, his trusty snapback somehow still balanced on his head, and Davey can't help rubbing his hands up and down his sleeping boyfriend's bare back.

He has no idea how they're going to pretend they're not in a relationship. They're _incredibly_ codependent and in the typical fashion of a couple of eighteen year-olds, they can't keep their hands off each other. This is basically mission-fucking-impossible, but what choice do they have? Davey is _not_ about to come out anytime soon, but Jack needs somewhere to live, so they have to pull this off.

It'll be fine.

-

Once they've both popped some Tylenol and had their last dining hall breakfast, they get right back to work packing so that maybe they can leave tonight.

"You know, I think I'm gonna miss this place," states Jack, standing in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips. "We had some good times here."

Davey rolls his eyes.

"I think I'll be happy to live somewhere that I don't have to wear shoes in the shower. I had fun here, but I can officially say that dorm life is not my thing."

Ignoring him, Jack sighs wistfully as he crouches down to pat the little safe under his desk.

"Thanks for hiding our drugs and fake IDs, little buddy. You did a good job." He turns and pats the carpeted floor. "Thanks for being so ugly and old that you can't even tell where I've puked. You did me a solid."

"You're an idiot," laughs Davey as he folds his clothes into cardboard boxes.

" _Your_ idiot."

And Jack is grinning up at him with that stupid adorable smile, so Davey just has to sit down on his bed and smile right back.

"Wanna make out on a twin bed one more time, for old times' sake?"

Jack practically jumps up to join him.

"I thought you'd never ask."

If they don't end up finishing their packing until well after they'd planned to, it doesn't really matter. They load up Jack's little old car just after dinnertime and start the drive out to Davey's family home.

 _Friends_. They're going to be very good friends. Nothing could go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if there’s anything consistent about my writing, it’s that jack and davey have about half a brain cell between them when it comes to common sense hhgjvghvg
> 
> if you liked it please leave a comment! how the heck are they gonna get themselves out of this mess??


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meet the jacobs... our two favourite clowns have officially put their plan in motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why is it that I’m only ever motivated to write during finals season?? I had a stats exam today and then immediately finished writing this chapter because I didn’t want to think about how terrible I am at statistics lmao
> 
> maybe in between making muscular physiology flash cards tomorrow, I’ll end up writing the next chapter!
> 
> side note: this is NOT proofread because I’m simply too lazy for that. please forgive any spelling/grammar errors lol I’m tired

Davey's parents live about three hours outside of the city, in a small town where real estate is cheaper and life is a little less hectic.

They'd moved here when Davey was eight, in preparation for his little brother to be born, leaving behind a shoebox-size apartment in Manhattan. While he's definitely a city boy through and through, he really doesn't mind it out here either— it's nice to have a little more room to breathe.

"That's where I went to school," Davey mentions, as they drive past. "God, I hate that place."

Jack frowns as he looks at the relatively small building.

"Is that a high school?"

Davey laughs.

"Just a school. Kindergarten to grade twelve, all in the same place. _That's_ how small this town is. I had a graduating class of eleven, and it was one of the biggest in the school's history. I think there's three kids in my brother's grade."

"Holy shit," replies Jack, like he's never heard of such a concept. "Did you guys even have sports teams and stuff, then?"

"We never had enough people for football, but we had everything else. Believe it or not, I did baseball, track _and_ cross country... okay, turn right up here at the stop sign, we're almost there."

Jack raises his eyebrows as he follows Davey's directions.

"You played sports? I don't buy it."

"Excuse you," replies Davey, affronted. "I was baseball captain junior and senior year, and I set a county record for high jump. I used to be a real athlete."

"Baseball butt..." Jack replies after a moment, like the realization has dawned on him. "That's how your ass is so nice. Makes sense."

Davey rolls his eyes.

"Shut _up_ ," he giggles. "Anyways, my house is coming up on the left here, with the little lights at the end of the driveway. This one."

Jack turns into the driveway and the sight of the familiar old house makes Davey feel much calmer. There's a few piles of snow still left melting on the grass, but Les has clearly been playing outside because his scooter is leaning against the front steps. The kitchen light is on and he can see the silhouette of his mother puttering around, probably tidying up from dinner.

"Your house is so fucking cute," says Jack in awe, and it dawns on Davey that Jack has never really even left New York City— small town life is going to be a bit of a culture shock. "Oh my god, it's like a movie! This is amazing!"

Davey can't help but laugh because his family lives in what is probably the most average house ever, the epitome of middle class. It was built sometime in the sixties or seventies, and the only remotely recent renovation was building a new deck a few summers ago when the old one was practically rotting apart. The nicest part about the property is probably the huge backyard, where an old treehouse still stands.

"Don't cream your pants over it," jokes Davey. "It's just a house. We can unload the car later, let's just go inside."

As they get out of the car, Davey stops short in the driveway.

"Do I look gay?" he whispers, suddenly overthinking every life choice leading up to this moment. "I didn't do my eyebrows today, and I even wore loose jeans. I'm trying to be lowkey."

Jack looks him up and down and laughs softly. He himself is wearing khakis and a hooded sweatshirt with a flannel overtop, because he already dresses just like every basic college boy ever. He'll have no trouble looking the part of Davey's exclusively heterosexual friend.

"Untuck your shirt." He nods as Davey does so. "There you go. Totally undercover."

-

Les is the first to greet them as they come in the door.

He's eleven now, and not quite old enough to have decided he's too cool to hug his big brother, so he comes running into Davey's arms.

"David! You're back!"

"Hey squirt," laughs Davey, scooping Les up into a bear hug. "Have you been driving mom and dad crazy for me while I was gone?"

"You know it!" replies Les, before cocking his head to the side as he notices Jack's presence over Davey's shoulder. "Who's _that_?"

"This is my friend Jack," says Davey, as he sets Les back on the ground. "I lived with him at school and he's gonna stay with us for a little while. Jack, this little demon is my brother, Les."

"Nice to meet you," says Jack, who quickly has to stifle a laugh at the inquisitive look Les gives him.

"Do you know how to play Fortnite?"

"Of course I do!"

"Oh good, David's really bad at video games. I'm glad you're here."

With that, Les turns and walks away, back to whatever he'd been doing before. Davey and Jack burst into silent laughter as soon as they make eye contact.

"I'm sorry," wheezes Davey. "That's just how he is."

"I love him already!" laughs Jack. "Oh my _god_."

Before they can lose their minds any further, Davey's mother walks in from the kitchen with a huge smile.

"You're here!" She walks over and grabs Davey's face. "I swear, you grow another inch every time you leave. You might be taller than your father now!"

"Maybe you're getting shorter," teases Davey. "I'm pretty sure I've been fully grown for a while. I've been taller than Dad since last year."

 _Taller_ is an exaggeration— they're almost exactly the same height, but it's always been a running joke that Davey would just keep growing like a beanstalk, ever since his massive growth spurt between junior and senior year.

"And you must be Jack!" cries Esther, and in typical overbearing mother fashion, she wraps him up in a hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you, David has told me so much."

"All good things, I hope," chuckles Jack as she finally lets him go. "Davey here's got a bit of a mouth on him."

Davey practically chokes at the hidden implication, but his mother just laughs, blissfully unaware.

"Always a bit of a gossip, this boy. Don’t worry, he’s had nothing but nice things to tell me." She pinches Davey's cheek, which makes him squirm away. "Anyways, I've got the kettle on if either of you want something to drink, and feel free to raid the pantry if you're hungry. The basement bed is all set up with fresh sheets, and Les _tried_ to help clean the little bathroom down there. It might be good to take a Lysol wipe to the counter just in case."

"Where's Dad?" asks Davey, peering into the living room and noting that his father isn't sitting in his usual armchair.

Esther sighs.

"He's upstairs, on the phone with Sarah, trying to book her a flight. We're not sure when the borders might close with all this madness, so we want her home as soon as possible. The world's gone crazy, I swear."

Davey's sister is currently at school in Canada, since she'd wanted to live far away without moving somewhere that they'd have to pay astronomical out-of-state tuition. Her international fees in Canada are somehow less than Davey's in-state tuition in the city, so maybe she had the right idea.

"At least we're all gonna be home to ride it out together. I think Jack and I might go grab some stuff from the car, and then we'll come in and have a snack."

And with that, they're back out the door, and Davey can finally exhale.

"That wasn't so bad," offers Jack, as they make their way to the car. "Your mom is really nice and your brother is iconic. Also, your straight voice is _really_ funny."

Davey feels his eyes go wide.

"I have a straight voice!?"

" _And_ you're back to normal," laughs Jack. "Yes, you started doing a straight voice as soon as we got inside, and it's killing me. I love Straight Davey."

"Fuck you," Davey whines, suddenly aware of just how high-pitched it goes. Oh god, he'd never do that in front of his family. He does have a straight-sona, and he hadn't even realized it. "Okay, we can do this. Straight Davey is who I am now. I love girls and... I dunno, beer? What do straight people even like?"

"Fishing!" Jack chimes in, as he grabs a bag and a couple boxes from the car. "Maybe trucks, too."

-

The rest of the evening goes rather smoothly, all things considered.

They settle down on the couch with hot chocolates and cookies once they've hauled their stuff inside, and Davey has to stop himself from leaning into Jack's side. He leaves a good foot of space between them, just to be safe.

"Thanks so much for having me, Mrs. Jacobs," says Jack, once Davey's mother has joined them. It's getting late and she's finally convinced Les to go take a bath and get ready for bed, so she's able to sit down and rest for a while. "I really appreciate it. You kinda saved my life, here. If I can do anything to help around the house, just let me know— I'd hate to feel like I'm intruding."

There's that word again, and Davey's heart breaks a little that Jack feels like a burden as soon as anyone shows him any kindness. It must be part of growing up in foster care, being tossed from home to home, which makes Davey count his blessings for having a relatively stable family to rely on. He really hopes Jack starts to feel at home here soon.

"Don't even worry about it, sweetheart," replies Esther, before sipping on her tea. "I'm just glad to have a new face around, things are pretty slow out here lately. Les is _ecstatic_ to have a new friend, but I've told him to try to stay out of your way while you've both got online school to do. Hard to say if he'll actually listen."

"He won't," interjects Davey. "We'll have to lock ourselves in my room or something."

He prays to every deity up above that his mother doesn't notice the eyes he and Jack make at each other for a moment. Thankfully, she's distracted by footsteps on the stairs.

"Hi Dad!" calls Davey, twisting himself around to face the staircase. "I'm home!"

Mayer comes down the stairs with his glasses pushed up onto his head, still limping a little from his accident two summers ago.

"David," he simply says, with a friendly nod. He's a quiet man and Davey knows not to expect much more than that. It's affection in his own way. "I take it this is your friend?"

"It's nice to meet you," says Jack, with a grin. He seems to want to go for a handshake, but there's a little too much space between them, so he just waves. "Thank you so much for letting me stay."

“It’s no problem at all, you’re very welcome.”

He waves back at Jack and then shuffles off into the kitchen like the old man that he is, probably in search of some tea or something. He’s not even that old, barely past fifty, but he’s simply got the spirit of a weird grandpa and it sort of perplexes Davey that he was raised by that man and turned out the way he is— he definitely didn’t inherit any of his eccentric-ness from his father.

“It’s supposed to be nice out tomorrow,” says Esther, after a moment of comfortable silence. “David, you should take Jack out quadding or something— the side-by-side is all fixed up. The backroads are a little muddy, but it shouldn’t be too bad.”

Jack gives Davey a bit of a quizzical look, like all that just went over his head. It’s now that Davey realizes that while everyone calls Jack _Cowboy_ as a joke, he’s never actually lived anywhere remotely rural. He’s never done all the hick shit that Davey and his siblings entertained themselves with growing up— Davey is the real country boy here!

“You’ll love it,” Davey reassures, and it’s a total lie. Jack is jumpy and scares easily; he’s going to hate the way Davey commandeers an ATV. This is gonna be golden. “I’ll drive slow for you, don’t worry.”

-

Laying in bed that night, Davey considers the circumstances.

So far, so good. It hadn’t been suspicious that he went downstairs with Jack before heading up to his own room— he had to give a tour of the basement, of course. The unfinished living room, the storage closet, and the tiny little bathroom are surely a lot to take in.

They’d managed to sneak a kiss goodnight and a quick little cuddle once Davey had made sure Jack was settled, so it’s not entirely different from normal yet. They just don’t sleep in the same room anymore, is all.

Now that he’s alone, Davey considers the prospect of actually coming out, yet again. He’s been thinking about it a lot today. He’s sure he could do it, he just needs to get over the big wall of fear in the way— maybe he’ll try dropping some hints and testing the waters. His mother is bound to ask him if he’s got a girlfriend, so maybe there’s something he could say to start leading his parents in the right direction… saying straight-up that he’s not interested in girls is too forward, but maybe he could say he’s _not_ _looking_.

That’s not a lie. He _isn’t_ looking for a girlfriend— he’s perfectly happy and settled down with a boyfriend. His parents will probably assume it’s because he’s got his sights set on medical school and his classes are too hard to be looking for a relationship, but it’ll be a good way to plant the seed of the idea that he just doesn’t want much to do with girls.

Okay, that’s it. It feels like he’s planning a spy mission— he’ll drop the first hint that he might be a little bit gay tomorrow, and then he’ll gauge their reaction and be on the lookout for any signs of homophobia. If all is clear, he’ll have to come up with another stage of the plan, but he’s got no idea what that’ll be yet.

Oh well, he’s got plenty of time. It’s looking like they might be here a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> david jacobs, Gay Spy extraordinaire...
> 
> this is all going suspiciously well, i wonder what could happen next? ;)
> 
> leave a comment if you’d like!!!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a closer look at the jacobs family dynamic, and all kinds of country bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter??? look how fast I’m updating guys aren’t you proud of me!
> 
> anyways, quick content warning (!!!): the word f*g is used in a derogatory way in this chapter, so be prepared if that’s going to make you uncomfortable!

"I don't trust this thing. Any vehicle that you have to wear a helmet to ride... doesn't seem like you should be riding it."

Jack is staring warily at the two-seater quad that Davey has just backed out of the garage. It's a beautiful day, unseasonably warm just like they'd expected, so they basically have to go out for a rip on the gravel roads just outside of town. They don't start online classes until tomorrow, so they've got plenty of time to kill for now.

"Oh come on," laughs Davey. "It's not that bad. I've been driving this since I was fourteen and I've never crashed— you're in good hands."

"Fourteen!? That's not even legal!" Jack is holding the helmet Davey had given him, but still hesitating to put it on. "You know, I thought Straight Davey was funny, but now I'm getting worried. Next thing I know, you'll be wearing camo and going hunting. This is ridiculous."

"Ugh, gross. I _hate_ hunting," is Davey's reply, as he slides his own helmet on. He shakes his head a little to make sure it's secure, and then sits down in the driver's seat. "Dead animals are _so_ not my thing. The first time I went with my dad and his friends, I went vegan for a month afterwards. It was disgusting."

"Okay, that's very homosexual of you. Maybe you can still be trusted."

"Just put the helmet on and get in, Jack," Davey groans, his voice a little muffled by his face shield. "I'll even drive slow if you want me to, I just wanna show you around."

Jack sighs dramatically, but finally puts the helmet on and climbs in. The motorcycling helmets do seem just a little excessive for the activity at hand if you've never tried it, Davey supposes— the quad pretty much looks like a heavy-duty golf cart— but once you're going fast and bugs get in your face, it's worth it to be all covered up. And on the off-chance that they do get in an accident, this thing doesn't have any walls, so it's best to have a barrier between your skull and the ground.

Davey instinctively reaches over to help Jack with his seatbelt, since he’s used to driving Les around in this thing, and he pauses as their hands touch. It's like a moment out of a novel... all tender and gentle. Definitely not a _just friends_ situation.

"Just making sure you're strapped in," says Davey, after awkwardly clearing his throat. "The buckle sometimes jams if you don't have the right angle."

"Gotcha," replies Jack, averting his eyes and letting Davey push the seatbelt into place. They're both well aware they can be seen through the living room window so they're not about to take any chances. "Makes sense."

There's a moment of awkward silence as they recovery from that near-miss, so Davey revs the engine to break it. It's hard to have a conversation when this thing is so loud anyways, so he just starts to back out onto the street. They live on a gravel road, so dust flies up everywhere— another reason to cover your face with a helmet.

"We'll just cruise for a while," he says, raising his voice to be heard, and Jack gives him a thumbs-up. "Keep an eye out for deer!"

And then they're off— Davey hits the gas and speeds up as soon as they're out of town, which makes Jack scream and grab onto the handle above his head.

"You said... we were going... slow!" yells Jack, barely audible past the rumble of the engine and the gravel crunching under the tires.

Davey laughs and drives even faster.

"I lied!"

-

Jack is practically shaking when they get home and he can finally disembark.

"That was messed up," he grumbles, taking the helmet off. "I'm never letting you drive me anywhere again."

"But wasn't it _fun_?" sighs Davey, almost moving to wrap his arms around Jack, but quickly redirecting it to just patting him on the shoulder. "You're finally living your country boy dreams!"

"I wanted to go to a ranch in the desert and hang out with horses," Jack whines, "not almost die on a dirt road in fucking upstate New York!"

Davey just rolls his eyes as he puts their helmets away and they head into the backyard. They're a little muddy from their joyride, so they'll have to wait outside until they're dry or Davey's mother will certainly give them hell.

Scratch that, she'll give _Davey_ hell, because Jack is a guest so he can't get in trouble, so Davey is very determined that they don't track any mud or water inside.

Practically the moment they make it in the gate, Les comes running out the back door. He's got Davey's old baseball glove in one hand— which he _isn't_ supposed to touch— and he's wearing his own glove on the other.

"Can we play?" he shouts from the deck, waving Davey's glove above his head. "It's been so long. Dad doesn't throw as good as you!"

"Why do you have my glove?" Davey replies. "That was in my room! Hey— don't throw it at me! No, I don't want to play catch right now. You know what you should do? Go grab us some water bottles from inside."

Les pouts, which makes Jack laugh a little.

"I'll only get them if you play with me. I'll even find a glove for Jack, if he wants. He can use Dad's."

Davey looks to Jack, who just shrugs.

"I'm down, but I'm not very coordinated. You guys might have to go easy on me."

" _Yes_!" shouts Les, and then he's off, sprinting inside just as fast as he'd come out the door.

"I still can't believe you played sports," says Jack after a moment, which makes Davey shove him gently. "You really are a man of mystery, Jacobs."

-

Jack wasn't lying— his hand-eye coordination when throwing and catching is comparable to that of a blind person with no arms, which is to say it's non-existant.

They set up their little triangle so that Jack only has to toss to Davey, who was definitely more of a pitcher in his ball days, but he's not terrible at catching either, so he manages to grab onto most of Jack's wild throws.

After jumping for one of Jack's, Davey just tosses the ball gently to Les— he's not really in the mood to play as intensely as they usually do. He's caught off guard by a laugh from behind him.

"That's what you call a pitch these days, David?" Mayer has made his way out onto the deck, and the only time he's particularly vocal about anything is when it comes to sports. Davey had been far too familiar with that growing up. "You're looking a little out of practice, son."

"Well it's not like I'm gonna throw a fastball from this close!" laughs Davey, really hoping not to get into all _this_ right now. The relationship between Davey, his father, and baseball is... complicated. "Toss it back to me, Les, and then go long. Let's see if I can still pitch."

He wishes he didn't still get the urge to prove himself as soon as his dad makes a little comment— he doesn't even play ball anymore so it doesn't _matter_ if he's any good— but he can't really help it. He rolls his shoulder a few times to warm up and then lets his muscle memory kick in to pitch down the length of their yard. The ball goes a little crooked since he's out of practice, but it hits the back fence, a considerable distance away, with a _thud_.

"Now that's my boy!" says Mayer, and Jack looks incredibly impressed, so Davey feels a little swell of pride. Hell yeah, he's still got it. His father continues with a chuckle: "I was getting worried moving to the city and quitting all your sports might've turned you into a _fag_!"

There it is.

He's short of breath for a moment, and he catches the way Jack's face immediately falls into a subtle mixture of shock and horror as they make eye contact. _Just don't say anything_ , he reminds himself. _Keep it together_. He laughs it off, because there's nothing else he can do.

Thankfully, Les comes jogging back over to them from his journey to collect the ball.

"That was awesome!" he says, and his excited grin makes everything feel a little better. "How do you throw it so _hard_!?"

"You just gotta get big and strong," Davey teases, jokingly flexing his muscles and very deliberately trying to ignore his father's looming presence. "You need to eat your veggies, and all that. You'll get there."

-

Davey and Jack don't get a moment alone until late that night— Les follows them around pretty obsessively.

The rest of the day had been... fine. Nothing really notable happens: Jack does a great job of getting along with Davey's folks over dinner, and then they watch the news and find out it's not just college campuses shutting down anymore— even Les's school will be closing. This is getting kind of scary now.

The girlfriend question doesn't even come up, which Davey is grateful for, since any faith he'd had in his plan is somewhat crushed right now.

"I think we might be stuck here for a while," comments Davey, sitting down on Jack's sofa-bed, once everyone else has gone to sleep. "It should be... interesting." He pauses and lowers his voice a little, irrationally scared that his parents might hear him somehow, from all the way up in their room. "I'm sorry about what my dad said earlier. It was— well, I think he just says those things without thinking. I'm used to it, but I guess it might've been kind of hard to hear for the first time."

Jack shrugs. He looks to be more sad on Davey's behalf than anything.

"I've been in a few rough foster homes," he replies. "I've really heard it all. But yeah, that was pretty fuckin' uncomfortable. I guess I can see why you might not be that excited to come out."

Davey laughs somewhat bitterly.

"I want to," he sighs, and he's practically whispering now, though he's well aware his parents can't possibly hear them. "I want to _so_ bad. But it's like... I have no idea how they'd take it. I don't think they'd get really mad or, like, disown me, but they'd see me differently. They'd be disappointed. It hurts, y'know?"

He's never really told anyone this. He hates talking about it— he only wants people to know him as confidently and proudly gay, the way he presents himself to everyone at school, off in the city and away from the familiar old small-town homophobia. He doesn't like feeling so _small_ , like he's too meek to even just tell his own parents who he loves. This isn't who he is, he knows he's stronger than this.

It sucks. It really does.

"Well no matter what happens," says Jack, gently pulling Davey into his arms, "I'm with you, okay? If we stay _friends_ the whole time we're here, that's totally fine. If you decide you wanna tell them at some point, I'll be right behind you. We're gonna be alright."

-

Davey very nearly slips up the next morning.

He's just come down from his room to have breakfast before a Zoom call with his physics lab group at nine, and Jack is already up, making polite conversation with Esther as he eats a bowl of cereal. On his way down the stairs, he'd overheard that Sarah's red-eye flight would be getting in soon and his dad is already in Albany to pick her up.

"Morning, mom! Good morning, b—" He almost says babe. Holy shit. Holy shit. He needs to cover this up; he stutters for a moment and lands on: "bro!"

Jack laughs with a mouth full of food and disguises it as a cough, nearly sputtering milk everywhere.

"Good morning, _bro_ ," he croaks, after swallowing his food and clearing his throat, still evidently trying not to giggle. "Do you have class right away?"

Davey nods, biting into the apple he'd grabbed off the counter to avoid having to speak. He'd certainly burst into laughter.

Esther looks back and forth between them, confused at what on earth is so funny.

"Teenagers," she sighs. "I just don't understand how your brains work. I'll leave you two to it— if you both want to work upstairs, I'll try to keep Les down here. His teacher already sent me a few things to try and work on with him."

"Not fair!" calls Les from the living room, where he's having breakfast in front of the TV, watching some cheesy Disney channel show. He's clearly enjoying the whole no school thing. "How come they get to work together but I have to work with you?"

Esther sighs. She nods subtly towards the stairs.

"You guys might wanna get out of here before he latches onto your legs and won't let go," she whispers. "He's just so happy you guys are here. Hopefully he'll settle down in a couple days."

Jack and Davey sneak out of the kitchen as quietly as possible, still laughing a little— when you're not supposed to be laughing, everything sure feels a lot funnier.

-

"So wait," groans Davey, running a hand through his hair. "Where did that equation for momentum even come from?"

"It's gonna be angular momentum here," comes Race's voice through his headphones. His camera quality is a little too grainy to read the page of messy handwriting that he holds up. "So it's the moment of inertia, which is mass times r-squared, multiplied by the angular velocity that we found in the last question. So then from that, we can look at the change in momentum from t-1 to t-2 and figure out the magnitude of the applied force on object A, once we take the coefficient of friction from this other part of the question and apply it here to calculate the opposing force— make sense?"

Davey just sort of stares at the screen and blinks.

"Uh... sure."

Physics is not his thing. He doesn't even know why it's a required pre-med subject, as he's not sure doctors usually need to worry about classical mechanics when they're on the job. Thank god for friends like Race, who's an idiot most of the time but is secretly a physics genius and has been taking college-level courses since he was, like, fifteen. He's taking some third-year classes right now, as a freshman, and he likes the subject so much that he's been willing to help with every lab report Davey's done this semester.

"If you don't get it, we can go back to the definition of momentum in Newton's second law, and we'll see what's not adding up— if you don't understand it now, you'll be fucked for the final."

Davey has never been so jealous of Jack's choice to major in fine art. The asshole is sitting on the floor with a box of coloured pencils and some drawings he'd made the other day— and this is his _homework_. It's not fair.  
  
Thankfully before Race can start trying to re-explain the laws of motion, the door opens loudly downstairs. 

"I'm _hooooome_!"

Thank fucking god. Sarah is finally here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so… we now see why davey hasn’t come out. yikes.
> 
> i still haven’t decided how long this fic will be since i’m terrible at planning, but expect maybe 3 more chapters?? idk dude
> 
> please leave a comment if you have anything to say!! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meeting sarah and learning a little more about jack! things are calm… for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who’s officially a college junior!!! i wrote my last final today and it was stupid hard but i did it!
> 
> anyways, here’s kind of a long chapter to celebrate my good mood. content warning for the f slur again, but davey uses it sort of colloquially in reference to himself, it’s not used in a derogatory sense this time.
> 
> enjoy!!!

Having a twin makes dealing with his annoying family significantly easier, Davey finds.

He's not sure what he'd do without Sarah— they were literally biologically made to be best friends— and this first year of college is the longest they've ever been apart. He's sprinting down the stairs before he even realizes it, abandoning his call with Race.

He doesn't even properly greet his sister, just jumps her in the doorway and starts trying to wrestle her to the ground. Sibling instinct, or something.

"You bitch," she groans, putting up a good fight and pushing Davey off. "What is the _matter_ with you?"

"You never answer my snapchats!" Davey is a little stronger and significantly taller, so he inevitably wins out and drags Sarah to the floor. "Contrary to popular belief, I _can't_ read your thoughts, so I haven't heard from you or seen your face in weeks!"

"Look in a mirror! We have the same face, idiot!"

Suddenly, their mother is looming over them, and Davey feels seven years old again. They immediately stop wrestling and look up at her.

"He was just saying hello," says Sarah from where Davey has her in a headlock and she's got a foot dangerously close to kicking him where the sun doesn't shine. "We're... catching up. This is a really complicated hug."

"Eighteen years old," sighs Esther, shaking her head. It looks like she's trying to be disappointed but she's really just amused. "You two are _adults_."

"Hey, you raised us," offers Davey with a shrug, which makes Sarah giggle. "I don't take any responsibility for how I was parented."

Esther seems to laugh a little but stays jokingly serious as she points a stern finger at them.

"You're not too old to get grounded. Cut it out."

Jack is watching from the stairs with a fond smile, and Davey suddenly realizes that they have a guest and he's acting like _this_!? Imagine meeting your boyfriend's twin for the first time and they start fighting before you even get introduced— good lord. This is embarrassing. 

They finally let each other go and Davey stands up, brushing imaginary dust off of his pants.

"Anyways... I'm glad you're home."

"I'm glad to be home," replies Sarah, who looks up the stairs and finally noticed Jack. "You brought back a friend?"

Jack waves with an awkward smile, and Sarah waves right back.

"Oh yeah! This is my roommate, Jack— he needed somewhere to stay when we got kicked out of the dorms. He's staying with us for a while."

"Oh sick," says Sarah, finally kicking her shoes off and moving in past the doorway. "It'll be nice to have someone new around. Nice to meet you, Jack!"

Davey doesn't miss the look Sarah gives him. It's subtle, but he catches it nonetheless. She knows something. _Shit_.

Sarah heads into the kitchen to find something to eat, and Davey makes his way back upstairs.

Even if she knows, she wouldn't say anything. She _wouldn't_. Of course not.

-

"I should grow a moustache."

They're sitting on the floor of Davey's room, keeping a little distance between them in case someone walks in, but inching closer and closer as time goes by. Jack is writing an English paper— he needed to take some kind of language elective, so he's now analyzing poetry— and Davey is working through some neurophysiology notes. He's taking a second-year biology class because he had AP credits to get him ahead, and it's actually unreasonably difficult.

"No you absolutely shouldn't," replies Davey, not even looking up from the list of neurotransmitters on his page. "I thought we already established that you can't grow facial hair."

"Okay, but that's just going off the fact that my dad never had any. I've never let it grow past stubble— maybe I got a gene for it somewhere in the mix! We won't know until I try."

"Do we _need_ to know?"

Jack leans over and smacks Davey's pencil out of his hand.

" _Yes_ , I need to know! How am I supposed to be the coolest tío at the family barbecue someday without a power-stache?"

Davey quirks an eyebrow.

"Doesn't tío mean _uncle_? You don't even have any siblings, where are you gonna get nieces and nephews from?"

"A tío is a state of being," sighs Jack, dramatically. "And you have two siblings, I've got a trillion foster siblings— someone's bound to have a kid eventually, and that kid will need a cool Mexican uncle. I'm just doing my duty."

Davey particularly likes the implication that they're going to grow up and attend family functions together, it warms his heart a little. That is, until he remembers that the hypothetical situation would mean he has to come out at some point. Damn it.

"Well, none of us are having kids any time soon, so I _really_ don't think you need to grow a moustache. Please."

Jack huffs in exasperation, but goes back to quietly writing his essay for a while.

"You know," he says after a few minutes. "Speaking of family... I should probably write to my dad. I'm kinda worried about him, with the whole virus thing."

All Davey knows about Jack's dad is that he's incarcerated.

Jack doesn't typically talk about him, but he'll sometimes mention getting letters and emails, so it's clear that they keep in touch at least somewhat regularly. Their relationship is sort of a mystery, just like a lot of Jack's past— while Davey knows Jack doesn't owe him any information, he can't help wondering sometimes.

"You don't have to answer this, I'm just curious... but when does your dad get out?"

Jack takes a second to think, almost like he's debating whether or not he wants to talk about it, but then he counts on his fingers.

"He might be able to get parole sometime next year," he finally replies. "I think. There were different charges— drug trafficking, something about having a gun he wasn’t supposed to have— but they were gonna run his sentences at the same time... I honestly don't really get how it works. He'll have served seven of his fifteen years next winter though, so I hope he can get out soon. It'd be nice to see him again."

"Were you guys close?" asks Davey, and he knows he might be pushing it a little, but it feels like now that Jack knows Davey's family, it might be easier to share about his own.

Jack shrugs.

"Not best friends or anything," he sighs. "He was involved in a lot of not-so-great stuff, but he was a good guy and he wanted to keep me out of it, so we weren’t that tight. We started getting closer when my mom got sick. But then, y’know, she passed and he got arrested not long after.”

"I'm sorry," says Davey, since he's not really sure what else to say. It's beyond tragic— Jack lost his mother and father one after the other when he was so terribly young. It's not fair. "That sucks."

"It is what it is," replies Jack. He's clearly done a lot of thinking on this topic. "I mean, of _course_ I wish I still had my parents, but I'm also so grateful I got to meet Medda. Without all her help in high school, there's no way I'd be in college right now. I think... God has ways of blessing you that you wouldn't even think of. You just have to try and see the good."

Religion is another thing they don't talk about much. Davey is Jewish, Jack's got a little cross necklace that he wears practically all the time— their beliefs are clearly different, but still similar in a way. 

"That makes sense." Davey nods, and he reaches over to let his hand rest on top of Jack's. "I'm happy you're able to see it that way."

A long moment of comfortable silence.

"Is it okay if I send my dad a picture of us? I told him I have a boyfriend and he wants to see what you look like. I like showing you off."

Davey isn't sure why that makes him blush, but he nods nonetheless. He’s flattered, but also a little embarrassed— Jack is out to his dad and their situation is _way_ worse than Davey’s. Now he’s being forced back into the closet because, what, Davey’s too much of a bitch to just talk to his parents? He tries to brush the thought away.

"Go for it. Tell him I say hi, or something.”

“On it,” replies Jack, switching tabs from his essay to his email. “I think he’ll like you.”

-

It’s another fairly uneventful day, all in all.

Sarah goes straight to bed after lunch, since she’d flown practically all night to get home and she’s exhausted. Les has a sensory meltdown in the afternoon— he’s autistic, and the change in routine of learning at home with both his siblings and a whole extra person in the house has thrown him off a bit— so once Esther manages to calm him down a little, Davey invites him upstairs to his room to cheer him up.

“You can help me with my project if you want,” Jack offers, sliding some of his drawings over to Les, who’s sitting quietly in the corner, still a little shaken up. “I need to add some colour to all these pictures. Wanna give it a shot?”

This is apparently the distraction Les needs, because he doesn’t say anything, but he finally cracks a smile as he takes the coloured pencils that Jack hands him.

“That looks really good,” says Jack after a while. “I wouldn’t have thought to colour the sky like a sunset, it looks way better than just plain blue! Nice work, little dude.”

“Thanks,” mumbles Les, entirely focused on the task at hand.

Davey can’t even concentrate on the work on his computer screen because he’s busy falling ten times deeper in love with Jack. He’s a straight-up angel, not to mention _so_ out of Davey’s league. How the hell did he manage to score someone so good?

-

Once everyone else has gone to bed, Davey is awake, scrolling through social media. He’d been snapchatting with Jack from their separate bedrooms for a while, but Jack has an 8am zoom lecture tomorrow, so he made the rational decision to actually get some sleep. Davey wishes he were capable of just laying down and going to sleep, but he’s got a brain that just doesn’t slow down.

_are you awake?_

A text from Sarah, whose bedroom is next door. She’d slept most of the day and she must be wide awake now, just after midnight, ready to go. Jet lag’s a bitch.

He texts back that he is in fact awake, and she walks into his room moments later.

“Hey.” Davey can’t be bothered to move from his comfy position in bed, but he at least puts his phone down to acknowledge his sister.

“Your boyfriend’s hot,” is Sarah’s nonchalant reply, as she walks over to sit on the ground next to Davey’s bed.

“Thanks,” laughs Davey, before quickly sitting up with wide eyes. “Wait, what? Hey, he’s _not_ by boyfriend!”

Sarah shoots him an unimpressed look, illuminated only by the moonlight from the window.

“Funny.” She rolls her eyes. “If I tell you I’ve hooked up with more girls than I have guys in the past year, will you change your story?”

Davey is somehow both shocked and unsurprised all at once. On one hand, what the fuck? He’s been tripping over himself to stay in the closet all this time and Sarah isn’t straight either!? But at the same time… it doesn’t seem out of character. It kind of makes sense.

Davey sighs dramatically.

“Fine, you caught me.” He’s still so anxious at the prospect of being overheard that he feels the need to whisper, but at least he’s able to get the words out. “I’ve been dating Jack since October. But you _can’t_ tell mom and dad, okay? Like, I’ll strangle you with your own hair in the middle of the night if you even _think_ about bringing this up, ever.”

Sarah sits back and cocks an eyebrow. She’s definitely the more chill twin— they’re polar opposites in a lot of ways but they make a good balance for each other.

“I mean, of course I won’t tell, I respect that… but like, why are you putting yourself through this? Why not just tell the truth? Keeping up with a lie seems like a lot of work.”

It’s a good question. Davey shrugs and pulls his blanket a little tighter around himself.

“I… I just don’t feel ready,” he sighs. “Like, yesterday Dad said he was scared I was turning into a fag just because I live in the city— imagine what he’d say if he knew about all the faggotry I actually get up to! I mean, I wear _crop tops_ on the regular. I got a fake ID to go to drag shows.” He laughs a little at the absurdity of it. “His head might explode.”

“He’d get over it, though,” offers Sarah. “You know he would. Mom and Dad aren’t hateful people— it might surprise them a little, and they might be kinda weird about it for a while, but they’d come around. Putting it off will only make it worse.”

“Well aren’t you just a fountain of knowledge,” scoffs Davey. “I’m gonna do it eventually, I’m just _nervous_. I know it’ll be fine in the end, I just don’t feel like dealing with all the weirdness. Anyways… are you a lesbian or something? I thought you were American.”

Sarah laughs at the reference, but then clamps a hand over her mouth upon remembering that it’s the middle of the night.

“I’m not putting a label on it,” she eventually says with a shrug. “I like people with good vibes, I don’t really care about the rest.”

“Good god,” groans Davey. “Are you hearing yourself? I knew Vancouver would turn you into a hippie.”

Sarah rolls her eyes and throws up a peace sign.

“It’s all about the vibes, baby,” she giggles sarcastically. “Peace, love, and weed. That’s my motto. Oh my god, wait, if you think I’m a hippie now, check _this_ out.”

She immediately flips a septum piercing down from where it had been hiding in her nose. Before Davey can even comment, she lifts up the side of her shirt to show a variety of doodled tattoos on her ribs and side-boob. One of them is a messily drawn marijuana leaf.

“Holy fuck. You’re crazy.”

Sarah just shrugs.

“Not to sound like a pothead or anything, but I feel like I kinda found myself, y’know? I’m just having fun and doing what I want. It’s nice.”

That _does_ sound nice. Davey’s not sure if he’s really found himself yet, whatever that means, but he’s happy for Sarah. They’re nothing alike in so many ways, but they’re still kind of the same person. 

He’s _so_ damn glad she’s home, even if she’s on some weird hippie bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anyways i did see the calls for sarah to be gay and i’ve come to deliver— she is in fact Not Straight. i do it for the girls and the gays, that’s IT! period!
> 
> also i know a piercing and some tattoos is really not that crazy, but do recall they live in the middle of nowhere. sarah’s new aesthetic doesn’t really fit the family vibe lol
> 
> drop a comment if you want, hope y’all liked it!! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sarah has a new haircut and everything goes to shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone! glad you’re still reading!!
> 
> ok, so this chapter is kind of a lot. The Drama has officially started. buckle your seatbelts and hold on tight!
> 
> content warnings: there’s some discussion/implication of what i guess would be childhood emotional abuse?? and then in the least spoilery way possible, something davey is very afraid of happens in this chapter. if you need a more detailed warning to try and avoid potential triggers, just message @thefactsofthematter on tumblr and i can fill you in!

The next week passes rather smoothly.

Online school is boring, and it sucks not being as affectionate as usual with Jack, but it's altogether pretty much fine. They're good at sneaking around to get some alone time— they go "camping" in the treehouse one night when it's particularly warm, and it's definitely just an excuse to... blow off some steam, if you will. Davey sure hopes none of the squirrels living in that tree got an eyeful of anything they shouldn't have.

Anyways, they've found themselves falling into step with the new routine. Mayer still goes to work— he runs the post office in town and people still need to get mail— and the rest of the family stays cooped up in the house, not that there's anywhere else to go anyways.

On the tenth day of quarantine, Sarah buzzes her head and dyes what's left of her hair bubblegum pink.

Davey thinks it's cool, personally, and Jack agrees. Les adores it and loves rubbing his hands on her fuzzy scalp. The rest of the household, however, is another story.

"Your beautiful hair, Sarah..." gasps Esther as Sarah comes downstairs with her new look. "Why would you do this to yourself?"

"Why not?" replies Sarah, with a shrug.

This is somehow the catalyst to disaster.

There's no fun back-and-forth, no fond smile. Esther just shakes her head, seemingly on the verge of tears. Something is about to go down here. The tension in the room is palpable and Davey wants out.

"I think I'm gonna go for a walk," he suddenly says, pushing himself quickly up from the couch. "Anyone want to come?"

He starts walking out of the room before anyone even answers, Jack and Les hot on his heels. It's just so fucking _awkward_ — even Les is picking up on it, and he's not exactly the most observant kid. 

"You're seriously not gonna back me up?" asks Sarah, whipping around to face Davey. "What the hell?"

Davey throws his hands up in surrender.

"I think it looks cool. I like it. I'm gonna... go now, though. You guys clearly need to talk something through here."

Sarah rolls her eyes angrily and Davey books it the hell out of there.

"Oh my god," he whispers, as soon as Jack closes the front door behind them. "What just happened?"

"Mom wasn't very happy," notes Les, taking Davey’s hand. "Maybe she doesn't like pink."

"Maybe," replies Davey, and Jack nods along with him. "That's probably it."

As they walk past the open window, he pretends not to hear the shout of:

"You look like a goddamn _lesbian_! What did you _do_?"

-

Upon arriving back from their walk, they decide to hang out in the yard for a while.

"I can show you some tricks on my scooter!" says Les, running up the driveway to get it. "I learned a whole bunch off YouTube!"

"I wish I knew scooter tricks," comments Jack, seating himself on the grass to watch the show. "I think that might be a good skill to have."

Davey just sort of hums in agreement, his eyes glued to his phone.

 **Davey** : _look idk what you wanted me to say? what are you even mad about??_

 **Sarah** : _im not mad_

 **Sarah** : _i just think it's funny how i always stuck up for you when dad used to yell at you but as soon as mom is pissed @ me you jump ship ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_

 **Davey** : _oh my goddd it's not that fucking deep bitch._

 **Davey** : _we have a guest and he doesn't need to see all our dumbass family problems so I was clearly just giving him an out_

 **Davey** : _and you KNOW how upset Les gets when we fight, did you want him to have to sit through that??_

"Are you okay?" asks Jack, tugging on Davey's pant leg to get him to at least sit down. "You're sighing and rolling your eyes a lot."

Davey checks to make sure Les isn't within earshot as he settles himself on the lawn.

"Sarah's being a bitch," he whispers, practically slamming his phone down next to him. "It's nothing."

Jack laughs softly and instinctively rests his hand on top of Davey's.

"God, I don't miss living with siblings. She'll probably be over it by tonight— how do you stay mad at your twin? You guys are the same person!"

Davey doesn't move his hand away from Jack's. He really misses casual affection, this is probably fine.

"You're right." His phone buzzes again and he decides not to check it again. "We'll talk about it once she calms down."

Jack gently rubs his thumb over the back of Davey’s hand and the repetitive motion slowly makes his frustration melt away. Everything is gonna be just fine as soon as they both catch their breath and they can communicate without snapping at each other.

The moment is interrupted by Les pointing at Jack and Davey’s connected hands.

“Are you guys in love?” he asks, far too loudly.

Davey recoils his hand from Jack’s like he’s touched a hot stove, and then he tries to play it cool by folding his arms over chest, while Jack rubs awkwardly at the back of his neck.

“What!?” replies Davey. “No, of course not! Why do you think that?”

“Well,” sighs Les, like he’s exasperated that Davey isn’t keeping up here, “I heard that when you hold hands with someone, that means you’re in love. I held hands with Sally at school, and now she’s my girlfriend. So I thought maybe you and Jack could be in love too.”

Davey doesn’t even really know how to respond, but thankfully, Jack has a knack for talking to kids.

“You held hands with Davey when we were on our walk,” he comments. “You guys aren’t in love.”

Les rolls his eyes.

“Of _course_ we are. He’s my brother, I love him the most in the whole world. That’s why we hold hands.”

 _Ohhhhh_. That’s what he meant. There’s just a little disconnect between the meanings of loving someone and being _in_ love with them. Thank fucking god.

“Well, if you mean that kind of love— yes, I love Jack very much,” sighs Davey. “He’s my best friend. I thought you were talking about boyfriend-girlfriend love, at first.”

Les is clearly somewhat is disbelief at how Davey could have possibly missed his point so badly.

“You’re both boys,” he states, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “How is one of you supposed to be the girlfriend? I’m not stupid, David.”

Jack laughs at that and Davey elbows him gently in the ribs.

“I know you’re not stupid. Some boys can be each other’s boyfriends, though, and that’s okay. Girls can be each other’s girlfriends too. You don’t need a boy and a girl to have romantic love.”

Les is quiet for a moment, thinking it over.

“Huh. That’s good, I guess,” he replies, and then he’s back to his scooter, trying to do some kind of spinning jump. “Can one of you come help me balance?”

-

When they finally re-enter the house, Esther is stress-baking in the kitchen and Sarah is nowhere to be seen, probably sulking in her room.

Les heads off to try and help in the kitchen, and Jack has to take a call with his English tutor, so Davey is left alone. He should probably go apologize to Sarah.

He makes his way up to her room and knocks their secret code on the door. There’s a long moment of silence.

“I don’t want to talk.”

Davey rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, I figured. I thought I’d at least try. Please note that the effort was made, I’ll be on my way.”

Just as he turns to go to his own room, Sarah speaks again.

“Wait.” She opens the door. “I’m not letting you do your whole _be the bigger person_ shit. Get in here.”

 _Works every time_. Davey follows Sarah into her room and sits on the edge of her desk.

“Can you at least tell me what happened?” He asks. “I’m honestly just confused as to why you’re mad at _me_. I like your hair.”

Sarah leans back on her bed and scoffs.

“God, you are _so_ fucking stupid and selfish,” she sighs, angrily. “For years, whenever Dad would go off at you about baseball or school or whatever the hell, I _always_ told him to lay off. I had your fucking back. Every time I get in shit with Mom and Dad, you run away and let me deal with it alone. Do you not see how much of an asshole you are!?”

Davey is somewhat taken aback.

“You say that like you _ever_ got in trouble growing up! What the fuck was I supposed to defend you against? No one ever even raised their voice at you! And here I thought I could let you and Mom talk out the fucking hair problem like adults and not make Jack and Les sit through it— forgive me for being considerate to the other people in this house.”

“Oh please,” groans Sarah. “Cut the dramatics. You just don’t have it in you to talk back to Mom or Dad, you fucking coward.”

Davey can’t help but gasp.

“Shut the _hell_ up,” he snaps, his voice shaking a little. “Maybe I am scared to talk back. You do _not_ get to call me a coward, because you _never_ got fucking yelled at the way I did. You’d be scared too, if Dad made you go out in the yard and run laps until you cried if you lost a game of junior league _fucking_ baseball. If I would’ve said anything more down there today, she’d go and tell Dad I was being disrespectful, and he’d shout at me in front of everyone over dinner. Probably hit me too, since I’m big enough to take him now. So yeah, maybe I was a little scared. You wouldn’t get it, because they obviously love you more. Fuck you.”

And he storms out, straight to his own room, without giving her a chance to reply. 

-

Tensions are high over dinner.

Sarah is avoiding eye contact with everyone, Esther still seems upset, and Mayer is his usual stoic self. Les thankfully seems oblivious. Davey just wants to eat a few bites and then leave, but he’s sure that would spiral into a lecture about not having enough respect for all the work his mother puts into cooking for the family. He’s over this.

Jack had excused himself early, as one of Medda’s kids is celebrating a birthday today, and he’d promised to attend the mini-party via FaceTime, so he’s thankfully missing out on this painfully awkward meal.

“That’s an interesting hairstyle, Sarah,” says Mayer after a while. “You look sort of like… a strawberry ice cream cone.”

This garners a giggle from Les and an almost-smile from Sarah. It quickly drops off her face when Esther chimes in.

“Did you know she has her nose pierced, dear? She’s been hiding it. She tucks it up inside her nose.”

Ah. So the conversation Davey had run from was about more than just hair. _Yikes_. 

“Really?” asks Mayer, with a disappointed frown. “Why would you do that?”

Sarah shrugs.

“It’s my body. I can pierce wherever I want and get tattoos wherever I want.”

“Tattoos!?”

She rolls her eyes— not something she’d typically do to her father. The argument from this afternoon seems to have really thrown off the balance in the house.

“Yeah.” She’s curt and cold. “I have a few.”

Davey wants to fade away into the background. He really doesn’t want to be a part of this.

“Good god, Sarah,” groans Esther. “What is it with all these secrets!? It’s like you’re a different person now, and I don’t like it.”

“Oh, you want to talk _secrets_?” Sarah scoffs, her confidence seeming to grow a little. Davey’s stomach drops. She _wouldn’t_. There’s no way. They might be mad at each other, but that just wouldn’t be fair. Realization sets in as she continues. “I think _David_ could tell you a lot about keeping secrets. He’s hiding _way_ more than I am.”

No. No, no, no, no.

Davey can’t breathe.

Sarah seems to regret her words as soon as they leave her mouth. Her eyes say she knows she went too far, but it’s too late to backtrack. Everyone is staring at Davey and he’s panicking, panicking, panicking.

“David…” starts Esther. “What is she talking about?”

He doesn’t have an answer. He doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he’s going to vomit.

Before he even knows it, he’s running out the front door and booking it down the street. He doesn’t even know where he’s going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YIKES!!!
> 
> that honestly kind of hurt me to write, it’s like I’m panicking on davey’s behalf, the poor thing :(
> 
> drop a comment if you have any thoughts to share!!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the fallout of sarah’s truth bomb. it’s finally time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so!! my apologies for the wait! school ended and my brain immediately turned to mashed potatoes for a few days to recover from the semester.
> 
> i wrote 3.5k words to make up for it, so this chapter’s a long one! and it’s also probably the second last, as hopefully i’ll manage to wrap things up for good in the next one— i’m terrible at conclusions though so it might take two more chaps to pull it all together.
> 
> content warning for the f slur once again— it’s such a strong word, but i’ve found it kind of fitting for all the strong emotions going on sometimes. davey uses in reference to himself in a far less playful way this time, so make sure to keep an eye out for what that implicates.
> 
> anyways, i’ve rambled enough!! let’s get into it!!

"Sarah..."

"I shouldn't have said that. I _really_ shouldn't have. I'm sorry, I— it's nothing. I made it up. He's not even hiding anything. I... I lied."

It's obvious she wasn't lying. If she'd made up the secret, there's no way Davey would've reacted like that.

"Sarah Abigail Jacobs," starts Mayer, with his disappointed father voice fully engaged— calm and level, with anger simmering under the surface. "I shouldn't have to explain this to you at eighteen years old, but you have absolutely _no_ right to tell other people's secrets. It's common sense. I don't care what he's hiding; it's downright _inappropriate_ for you to violate his trust like that. I'm not pleased with you."

Sarah practically shrinks in her chair as she nods. She really messed up.

"I'm sorry. I understand."

"I think it would be best if you went upstairs and kept to yourself for a while. Go to your room and calm down."

Remarkably, she listens. She abandons her half-eaten meal and sulks out of the room without a word.

Mayer turns to Esther now, pinching the bridge of his nose exasperatedly.

"There's no use chasing him, is there? He'll have to come back eventually, I'll make sure to wait up for him."

-

Davey is going to die.

That's what it feels like, at least. He's never been this panicked before— he's hyperventilating and shaking and he can't even see straight. He very rarely cries, but now he's _sobbing_ as the weight of what just happened hits him.

How _could_ she? He fucking trusted her with his biggest secret, and she had to go and spill it. He can't believe this.

Maybe she didn't directly out him— she didn't say _oh yeah? well David's gay, so get mad at him instead_ — but that's clearly what she was going for. She was trying to screw him over to get herself out of the spotlight, and damn it, it _hurts_. He's never felt quite so betrayed.

He's hiding at the empty park behind his old school. No one is around, obviously, since they're all peacefully quarantining at home, so he's just sitting near the back doors of the building with his knees pulled to his chest.

He rests his head on his knees as he chokes on another sob.

This isn't fair. He was supposed to get to come out on his own terms. He was waiting until he felt ready. And he's _not_ ready yet! He isn't! It's so fucked because Sarah _knew_ that, but she still threw him under the bus as some petty revenge for a stupid argument.

He still doesn't quite get what they were even fighting about. So, he didn't jump to Sarah's defence when their mother didn't like her fucking hair. In his opinion, it wasn't really his place, and they could've easily talked it out like grown-ups. Why on earth would she expect him to get involved, and why would she get this angry about it?

Obviously everyone's in kind of a weird mental place these days, so he can't say he's entirely surprised that things are going to shit, but maybe if they just would've communicated better, this never would've happened. Okay, he probably should have heard her out and not gotten so defensive this afternoon. He supposes he at least owed her that much. He was being a bit of an asshole.

Shit... is all of this his own fault?

He finds himself pulling out his phone and opening their text conversation. The screen is blurred through the tears in his eyes, but he manages to stop shaking long enough to type out a message.

_I'm sorry_

And that's it. He sends it and shoves his phone back into his pocket. He's sorry for being such a terrible brother that it all had to spiral into this.

He realizes after a moment just how cryptic that sounded, like he's about to do something very stupid, but he decides he doesn't care. She can worry about him all she wants. Maybe it'll make her feel bad.

He leans his head back against the wall.

The only way out of this is to come out. He has to. He's so goddamn tired of lying, so all he can do now is own up to it and admit his sexuality.

No, not _admit_ it. He hasn't committed a crime— it's not a bad thing. He's going to _share_ it. That's it. If he looks at this as a good thing, maybe he'll come off more confident and stay on his parents' good side. He'll tell them that he's gay and he's happy, and that it doesn't change anything about him.

He sniffles and wipes at his eyes. He can do this, god damn it. He _has_ to. He'll be fine.

As his luck would have it, once he's finally somewhat calm, his phone starts to ring with a call from Sarah. The anger and betrayal strike him all over again, so much so that he can't even find it in himself to say anything as he answers the phone. He just presses it to his ear and silently waits to see what she has to say for herself.

"... _David? Are you there?_ " She pauses, confused, but he still doesn't say anything. She can probably hear him crying anyways. " _Silent treatment?_ " She waits for an answer again. " _Okay, that's fair. Just... I'm so, so sorry. I really fucked up. I don't— I mean, you have nothing to apologize for, alright? This is all my fault. I feel awful_."

"Did you tell them?" asks Davey, surprised at just how cold and bitter his own voice sounds. "Is the secret out? Does the whole family know I'm a _faggot_?"

" _No! Oh my god, no! I tried to cover it up and say there was no secret and I was lying, but I don't think they bought it. Dad got kinda mad and sent me to my room. I think him and Mom are really worried about you_." She pauses. " _I... I swear I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry_."

Davey rolls his eyes, even though she can't see him.

"Whatever," he snaps. Any calm he’d previously found is long gone. "If you really didn't want this to happen, you wouldn't have said anything in the first place. Fuck you."

And he hangs up.

He leans his head back against the wall and sighs, as more tears roll down his face.

This is all so fucking messed up.

-

Jack stays on FaceTime with Medda for a couple of hours.

As much as he's grown to love Davey's family, he really misses his foster siblings. While maybe he's aged out of the system, you can't age out of family and he still loves them all just the same. Smalls is eight today, and he's practically watched her grow up, so he's there to sing happy birthday through a screen and pretend to help her blow out her candles.

Once Medda's iPad eventually dies and cuts the call off, Jack decides to hang out by himself in his makeshift bedroom a little longer. He's in an amazing mood, and he honestly doesn't even want to know what kind of family drama is transpiring upstairs.

This plan is effective for about ten minutes, and then Les is stomping his way down the steps, since he doesn't seem to totally grasp the concept of knocking. He's very clearly upset, and Jack is still in big brother mode, so he drops everything to see what's going on.

"Whoa, little dude," he says, taking in Les's distressed expression and sitting up on his bed. "What's going on, man?"

Les huffs and folds his arms over his chest.

"David ran away. I want him to come back."

Jack practically chokes.

" _Ran away_!? Like, just got up and ran out the door, or...?"

Les nods and takes a shaky breath like he's trying not to cry.

"Sarah got mad at supper and made David run away. She said he was keeping a secret, which is _rude_ , and instead of telling it, he got really scared and he left. I don't get it."

Jack's heart sinks. Shit. This can't possibly be good.

"Uh, did anyone go look for him?" he asks, trying not to voice his panic. "Do we know where he is?"

Les shakes his head. He's clenching his fists so hard he might be cutting his own palms with his fingernails, and tears are welling up in his eyes.

"I don't _understand_! Dad says he'll come home soon, but I want him to come home _now_. I don't know why he left. You can’t leave the dinner table without asking to be excused, it’s not right! And—"

There's a shout from upstairs.

"Lester Abraham!" calls Esther. "Are you bothering Jack down there?"

"We're fine!" replies Jack, smiling at Les, who wipes pitifully at his eyes. "Just hanging out, it's okay!" There's footsteps heading away from the top of the stairs, and Jack pats a spot next to him on the bed. "Do you need a hug, little man? I'll send Davey a text and see if we can't find him, okay?"

Les settles into the hug and squeezes tight. God, Jack misses his siblings. They hang onto each other for a moment, and then Jack pulls his phone out.

_call me asap please_

_i'm worried :(_

And then they wait.

-

Just as Davey thought he couldn’t be more upset, now Jack is worried about him.

God damn it. Fuck. In all the craziness, he’d almost forgotten Jack was even here. Poor Jack who didn’t ask for any of this is now wrapped up in all of Davey’s stupid family issues.

He decides he needs to pull himself together before he does anything more. He can’t call Jack and cry on the phone— can you believe? It would be _so_ embarrassing. The only time he’s ever cried in front of Jack was when he was spectacularly drunk one night, and he hit his head on the toilet after throwing up— and he only knows that even happened because it somehow ended up in his Snapchat memories.

He forces himself to take a few deep breaths, and then he stands up and tries to walk it all off. He paces back and forth for a bit, until the lump of emotion stuck in his throat has gone down almost completely.

He’s all grown up. He’s not a scared little kid anymore. He’s gonna call Jack, tell him not to worry, and then he’ll go home and face his parents. It’s that easy.

Fuck, of course it is. Easy as pie. That’s why he’s been procrastinating it for almost four years, right? Shit, okay, stop overthinking it. This is fine.

He calls Jack.

-

It takes a good few minutes to calm Les down, but he finally settles into a comfy spot on the couch-bed, and they turn on the little TV in the corner to play some Mario Kart as a distraction.

Just after their first race, Jack’s phone rings.

“Davey!” He’s nearly breathless as he answers— he hadn’t quite realized just how much tension he’d been holding. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

Davey laughs on the other end of the call.

“ _I’m fine, I’m on my way home. I had a little freak-out at dinner and had to go get some air, but I’m good now. I handled it_.”

Davey has always been remarkably level-headed, but this is a new extreme. From what Jack can understand of Les’s not-so-reliable storytelling, Sarah outed him. Surely that must be a big deal. Why is he so calm?

“You’re _sure_ you’re okay?” Jack presses, as Les tugs on his arm to try and get the phone. “Like, I don’t totally know what happened, but Les says you were pretty upset. I… I mean, you can tell me, okay? I wanna talk to you.”

“So do I,” whispers Les, tapping Jack aggressively on the shoulder. “I wanna talk to him too.”

“ _I swear I’m fine_ ,” replies Davey. “ _I, uh, I’m gonna come out tonight. I don’t know what all Les told you, but Sarah sorta fucked me over because she was mad about earlier. She let it slip that I’ve got a big secret, so I figure I just have to come clean, you know?_ ”

Jack’s secondhand anxiety skyrockets. Davey had been so committed to his parents not knowing— he _has_ to be more upset than he’s letting on. However, it would be counterproductive for Jack to keep bothering him about it— he can only try to prepare for the fallout that might ensue later if things don’t go perfectly. If Davey is calm now, he supposes it has to be a good thing, maybe it means he thinks it’ll go well.

Les finally manages to grab the phone from Jack’s hand.

“David, I am mad at you,” he shouts into the device. “You shouldn’t keep secrets and you shouldn’t walk away from supper without finishing, that’s no good. And Mom told me it was almost time to get ready for bed, but I can’t do that unless you give me a hug, so now you’re ruining my sleep too. You have to come home right now.”

Jack can faintly hear Davey as he talks to Les.

“ _I’m, like, two_ _minutes away. I’m coming home. I’m really sorry I was so rude at supper, I was just feeling really frustrated and I didn’t act right. I’ll give you your hug right away, don’t you worry._ ”

This is enough to placate Les. He nods and hands the phone back to Jack.

“I don’t think I’m angry anymore. I’ll go wait by the door for him.”

Jack can’t help but laugh as Les runs up the stairs.

“I think you’re about to be ambushed when you get inside,” he chuckles. “I think you kinda spooked him. He tried to tell me what happened, but I don’t know if he totally got what was going on. So, Sarah told your parents you have a secret… but she didn’t say what?”

“ _Yeah. She was getting in shit for being all rebellious all of a sudden, and I think she panicked and figured the best way out would be to throw me under the bus. I don’t know… it was a bitch move, but I kinda see why she did it. She doesn’t usually get in trouble— that’s sorta my job._ ”

A fond, but confused frown settles on Jack’s face.

“Why do I not see you as a troublemaker? Like, I can’t picture you getting in trouble for anything.”

Davey laughs.

“ _It was mostly because Dad was my baseball coach— everything from practice transferred to home. He didn’t want people to think he was, like, favouring me, so he was just super hard on me instead. There was always lots of shouting about it over dinner, but Sarah usually managed to steer clear_.” He pauses. “ _Anyways, I’m coming up the driveway. I… well, if you’d be cool with it, maybe it’d be best if you just chilled downstairs for now. I’m not really sure what I’m about to walk into, and I don’t want to get you all wrapped up in it if it’s really tense._ ”

“Fair enough,” replies Jack. As much as he’d love to support Davey through the tough conversation that’s surely about to happen, he’s secretly a little glad he doesn’t have to get involved. “Come talk to me once it’s all said and done, okay? You’ve got this. Just be calm and confident, and everything will work out.”

They say a quick _I love you_ and end the call.

Jack really, really hopes it all goes well, but he starts planning their potential escape just in case. He hasn’t unpacked much, he could easily throw it all in the car, and he’s certain Medda would manage to make room for them if they had to drive there tonight.

Okay. All he can do now is cross his fingers and wait.

-

Davey has never been so nervous.

He plays it off as he says goodnight to Les, giving him an extra long hug and a kiss on the forehead… just in case.

It dawns on him that if this all goes wrong, that might be their last hug for a long time. It takes everything in him not to start panicking again as Les heads upstairs to get ready for bed. He takes a deep breath. This is fine. It has to be.

“David… are you alright?”

Mayer is standing at the edge of the entryway, where it connects to the living room. He looks… worried.

Davey can hardly force words out.

“I… yeah. I’m okay.” He scratches awkwardly at the back of his neck. “I just… it was one of those panic attacks, like I had sometimes when I was little. Fight or flight, you know? I shouldn’t have run off like that though. I’m sorry.”

He can’t quite gauge his father’s reaction. His expression doesn’t really change and there’s a long moment of silence.

“I want you to know, you can tell me anything,” he finally says. He’s definitely where Davey gets his rationality from, because his voice is totally level, however it’s not emotionless. “You’re an adult, and you’re entitled to your privacy, but if there’s something you’d like to talk about… I’m here to listen. I don’t know if I’ve always been the best at showing you that, and I’m sorry for it.”

 _What the fuck_. This is new. Apparently Davey’s freak-out was the catalyst for a turning point in Mayer’s parenting, because it doesn’t really sound real that these words just left his mouth. Davey was sort of expecting to be told to man up, and then it would be left at that. This is certainly odd.

“Um, I appreciate that,” says Davey, not really sure what to do with himself. “I guess there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you and Mom about…” He trails off— his confidence is slowly slipping away. He’s terrified. He swallows thickly and forces himself to keep talking. “I’m gonna put the kettle on, and maybe we can all talk once she’s got Les put to bed. It… it’s nothing bad, I promise. It’s just… I don’t know. Something I’ve been keeping to myself.”

Mayer simply nods, and then Davey speed-walks to the kitchen, gripping the counter with white knuckles as soon as he’s out of sight.

It’s _not_ a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with being gay. He’s not confessing to a murder, he’s telling his parents who he loves. Love is a wonderful thing— how could it be wrong?

He takes a deep breath in and out to compose himself. _Focus on making tea._

-

They’re sitting in the living room, and Davey is gripping his cup of tea like it’s a lifeline.

His mind feels like the no man’s land between two armies— one is trying to convince him that he’ll be fine, and the other is cycling through every possible worst case scenario. His parents are looking at him, like they’re waiting for him to say something but they don’t want to pressure him, and he deflects it by sipping his tea again.

Okay. This is fine.

“So… I guess we need to talk.” He finally says. He prays his voice not to shake. “Um, like Sarah said, I’ve been keeping a bit of a secret. I’ve been hiding it for a long time, actually. Years.”

Esther and Mayer look nervous. They share a kind of concerned look between them, but they don’t interrupt.

“I— I don’t know why I’ve been so scared to say it,” he continues, “but it’s just been building and building, so that I can’t hide it anymore. Even if Sarah hadn’t brought it up, I’ve been wanting to tell you guys. I think she was just tired of me being so scared.”

“We love you, David,” says Esther, when he’s quiet for a moment. “Nothing could ever change that.”

He nods and takes a deep breath.

“I know. I… I just haven’t felt ready to talk about it, but now I am. I’ve grown up a lot in the past year, and I don’t want to be scared anymore.” He pauses to build up the courage. _Spit it out_ , he taunts himself. _Just do it_. He swallows every bit of fear and finally lets himself say it: “ _I’m gay_.”

A weight immediately lifts off his shoulders. For a moment, he can’t even be bothered to care how they’re going to react, because the relief is too great. All these years agonizing over those two words, and now he said it. It’s done.

Mayer hardly seems to react. He looks pensive, if anything, like he’s taking a second to come to terms with it. He’s hard to read, but he doesn’t look mad. Okay. This is good.

Davey turns his attention to Esther now, and his heart instantly sinks.

He’s never seen her look so disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another cliffhanger??? i am looking away i do not see it 
> 
> anyways, i'm a dramatic bitch so you know i had to, i like keeping you all on the edge of your seats!
> 
> pls drop a comment if you have thoughts questions or concerns :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> esther and mayer’s reactions to davey’s big news.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!! this chapter is definitely a rollercoaster of emotions, so buckle your seatbelts and keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle ;)
> 
> i hope everyone is staying home and staying safe!!!

It's silent for an uncomfortably long moment.

"Mama..." Davey's voice nearly breaks. "Say something. _Please_."

She closes her eyes and sighs deeply. She looks heartbroken, like Davey has betrayed her somehow. It hurts more than an angry, violent reaction probably would've.

"David," she finally says. "I don't know what to think of this. You _must_ be joking."

It's like a knife to the gut. Davey very nearly physically recoils.

"Joking?" he asks, his voice shaking now. "I don't... I..." He trails off, breathless and desperate. "Why would I joke about this? I'm telling you who I _am_. I'm still me, nothing's changed. I'm just... finally being honest."

Another long beat of silence. The tears in Davey's eyes are threatening to spill over and his chest feels impossibly tight.

Esther shakes her head.

"I knew moving to the city would do something to you..." she mutters. "It messes with your mind. You see all this LGBT, alphabet people, rainbow nonsense and it gives you ideas, doesn't it? Maybe there's still something we can do to help you."

This is the point where Davey openly bursts into tears. He can't help it. He'd expected his mother, of all people, to take it well— she wasn't the one he was afraid of. He claps a hand over his mouth to keep from sobbing out loud.

Mayer still hasn't spoken. He, too, looks disappointed, but Davey somehow doesn't get a sense that it's directed at him. It's more so like he's embarrassed that his wife is acting like this.

"Please," whispers Davey, so, so desperate to change his mother's mind. "There's nothing wrong with me! I've always felt this way— living in the city just gave me the confidence to be who I am. Nothing changed." His breath hitches as the tears continue to flow. "I love who I love, Mama. How can loving someone be a bad thing?"

His mother won't even look at him. Davey sobs with his whole chest, utterly heartbroken.

Mayer finally speaks up.

"Love is the greatest gift God has ever given the world," he states, perfectly calm. He gives Esther a pointed look, but continues to address Davey. "I think maybe we should go out for a drive and give your mother some time to... collect herself."

Davey genuinely doesn't know what to make of that. His parents don't often seem to disagree, but it's very clear that Mayer doesn't share Esther's stance on this issue— something rather unexpected. He's a hard person to understand, though, so Davey just nods. Anything would be better than sitting right here.

He needs the fresh air, and it might be nice for both of them to look at the road and not have to talk. But on the other hand, Davey knows there's a hunting rifle in the back seat... oh god. He can't think like that. He doesn't always get along with his dad, but that's completely out of the question.

He wipes at his eyes and swallows thickly.

"Okay," he says, his voice a little raspy. "Let's go."

They leave Esther sitting there on the sofa, and Davey doesn't even look back.

-

He's in the passenger seat of his dad's truck, still crying and shaking. He's glad to be out of his mother's presence, but still terrified of what his father might have to say. It's been good so far, but he could be waiting until they're alone. This could still be dangerous.

Mayer grabs the tattered old plaid blanket from the back seat and sets it on Davey's lap before he starts the engine, some strange little gesture of affection. It's getting a little cold out, as it's after nine o'clock. It's quiet as they back out of the driveway.

"So, you and Jack," Mayer finally says. His tone is oddly gentle. "Are you two...?"

He trails off, but Davey gets what he's asking.

On one hand, he wants to lie and protect Jack, in case this conversation takes a turn for the worse. On the other, he knows that if he's being honest, he wants to be fully honest. No more lying.

"Yeah," he eventually replies, keeping his gaze set on the road. "He's my boyfriend. Almost six months, now."

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees his father nod.

"I thought so."

Hang on... what? Davey had truly thought they were being subtle, and he was fully convinced his father thought he was straight. Has he known all this time?

"You did? I— wait, what gave it away?"

Mayer just sort of shrugs.

"I know you better than you think I do," he replies. "I knew you never seemed interested in girls, and I thought maybe you'd grow into it, but then you brought Jack home and... I saw the way you look at him. That's when I started to realize you might be... _you know_."

"Gay?" Davey finishes for him. "You can say it, it's not a bad word. In fact, I'd much rather you said it than... uh, the f-word. That one's a little harsh."

Mayer nods quietly, watching the road as the cruise along. They're just outside of town now, passing by farm after farm.

"I'm sorry, David," he sighs. "For everything. I feel like such a horrible father— I've really let you down. You deserve so much more than the way I've treated you, the things I've said. That word, especially— all the times I said it without even thinking, all the stupid jokes I made. I've been hurting you all these years, haven't I?"

Davey isn't quite sure how to respond. It _was_ hurtful, hearing homophobic comments coming his way every so often, but he by no means considers his father to be horrible. While they've had their tough moments and their relationship has been a little strained in recent years— there's been plenty of hurtful things said without thinking— he still thinks his father is good man at heart. There's a million good moments to look back on that equal out the bad ones— surpass them, even.

"You're not a horrible father." He's finally calmer now, able to breathe a little better. "I... I'll admit that you've hurt me— even if I weren't gay, _faggot_ just isn't a nice word to hear, ever. But, like... at the end of the day, it's just a word. Maybe you've said things that were, I don't know, _misguided_ — but you've never had any bad intentions, and I can see that now. You've always done what you thought was best, and I appreciate that. I don't think you've let me down at all."

Davey truly hadn't realized he felt that way until the words were leaving his mouth. He's been hanging onto the resentment and hurt that he'd felt when he was younger, but it feels good to finally let go of that and speak like adults. Maybe eighteen is hardly a grown-up, but now that he's lived away from home, he's had more time to process everything. He really does love his dad, despite everything they've been through.

When it's quiet for a moment too long, he looks over to see that his father is crying.

"Dad... c'mon. You're gonna run us off the road if you get all teary, this is unsafe driving."

Mayer chuckles as he wipes at his eyes.

"Sorry, sorry." He laughs quietly again and shakes his head. "I just want you to know that I love you more than you could ever imagine. Your mother does too— you know she can be a bit stuck in her ways, but she'll come around eventually. Nothing could ever stop her from loving you."

Davey bites the inside of his lip as he nods.

"I hope so."

Mayer reaches over to lay a hand on Davey's shoulder.

"She'll come around. I promise you."

-

When they arrive home, Davey doesn't particularly want to go inside. He’s been unable to stop the steady stream of tears this whole time, though at least he’s not sobbing anymore.

Mayer seems to pick up on his hesitancy.

"Go downstairs and give your boy a good hug," he whispers, reaching over to rub Davey's shoulder. "Don't worry about your mother for now. I think she just needs some time to wrap her head around everything— she's just a bit shocked, is all."

Davey nods.

“Thanks Dad,” he mumbles, still not ready to get out of the vehicle. “I… I really appreciate how chill you’re being about all this.” He pauses. “I don’t know why this is bugging me so much, but I guess I need to hear you say it… Are you still proud of me? Even though I’m… not really what you wanted me to be?”

Suddenly, Mayer is leaning over the console to wrap Davey up in a hug. This is new— they’ve never had a remotely affectionate relationship. They’re certainly not a touchy-feely family.

“I’m so damn proud of you, son,” he whispers into Davey’s shoulder. “I always have been, and that’ll never change. You’re an incredible young man, everything I could’ve ever dreamed of.”

That means a lot. Davey has never really been sure— he had a lot going for him last year with track and baseball, he had offers for D1 athletics at several schools, but he threw it all away to take an academic scholarship and move into the city because sports simply weren’t his passion. He knew it wasn’t what his father wanted for him, and ever since then, he’s had a sense that he’s become a bit of a disappointment.

It feels good to hear that he isn’t.

They release after a few moments, and the silence is awkward but somehow comfortable. They climb out of the truck, and as they head inside, Davey makes a beeline for the basement stairs— though not before Mayer can give him another hearty pat on the shoulder.

-

Jack has never really seen Davey cry, apart from that one time he’d nearly concussed himself while shitfaced, after a ridiculous night of drinking.

To see him come down the stairs with tears in his eyes is a bit jarring.

Jack practically springs off of his bed and rushes forward to get Davey in his arms as quickly as possible.

“Hey, hey…” He’s a little caught off guard by the way Davey immediately clings onto him at the bottom of the stairs. “Is everything okay? How did it go?”

Davey just shakes his head as he hides his face in the side of Jack’s neck. He’s crying. Okay… that can’t be good.

“C’mon, doll,” whispers Jack, after a little while, reaching up to brush his fingers through the short hair at the back of Davey’s neck. “Talk to me. What happened?”

Davey sounds utterly broken when he replies.

“My mom hates me.”

Jack is at somewhat of a loss for words. He’s only known the Jacobs family for a little over a week, but he can safely say he was not expecting Esther to take it badly. She’s one of the kindest people he’s ever met.

“I’m so sorry, darling,” Jack whispers. He’s not really sure what to do. “We can get out of here if we need to, Medda will make room. It’s only a couple hours away… we can go, if it’s not gonna be safe here.”

Davey shakes his head again.

“No, we don’t have to… no. We can stay here.” He takes a deep breath to try and calm down. “She’s mad, but she won’t do anything crazy. I mean… Dad took it fine, which I wasn’t really expecting, so I think it’ll all be okay… I’m just being dramatic. I’m sorry.”

He pulls back from the hug and wipes at his eyes. Jack can’t help but frown a little.

“Don’t apologize.” He reaches up to cup Davey’s cheek and thumb a few stray tears away. “It’s not dramatic— you just came out to your parents, baby. You’re allowed to be emotional.” He sighs as they look each other in the eyes. “No matter what happens next, I’m so proud of you. You finally did it.”

Davey nods and forces himself to crack a little smile.

“I did,” he replies, and the smile grows a little. “You’re right. And my dad was really good about it— we went for a little drive, and he said he already figured you and I were probably together.” He chuckles softly. “He’s a smart guy. He’ll talk some sense into Mom— I think she’s just shocked, mostly. Which, like…” He trails off and gestures at himself. “I don’t know what wasn’t clicking. I think I came home for winter break in a trench-coat and Chelsea boots. Like, read the room, Ma.”

Jack snorts at that and rolls his eyes.

“You idiot,” he giggles. “So you figure she’ll get over it?”

Davey nods and makes his over to collapse on Jack’s bed.

“Yeah. She’s kinda traditional, probably had all these expectations for me to have a wife and kids— I think I fucked up her plans a little bit. She was like: _oh, maybe we can still fix you_ — fuck all the way off, bitch. Imagine me being straight.”

This sharp turn from crying to laughing about it all is a little concerning, but very Davey. He’s never one to dwell on negative emotions for very long. All Jack can really do is go along with it. He throws himself next to Davey on the bed.

“Stay down here with me tonight?” he asks, rolling over to force Davey into a cuddle.

“Two unmarried, involved, young people sharing a bed in the Jacobs house? It’d be quite the scandal,” Davey jokes, but he doesn’t seem inclined to move. “Sarah had a boyfriend last year, and they weren’t even allowed to go upstairs together. God has eyes all over the place.”

Jack laughs. 

“I hope God didn’t see what we did in your poor treehouse, then.”

Davey laughs at that, and a real, full smile finally spreads across his face. Jack is deeply, deeply in love with him. They’re gonna be just fine.

Whatever comes next, no matter how tomorrow or the next day or the next day goes, they’ll face it together and they’ll be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so… that was that, huh?
> 
> there’s still a few loose ends to tie up, so an epilogue will be on its way, but this felt like a nice place to leave it for now. it’s a lot like real life— not everything has a perfectly happy ending, some things are bittersweet and can feel a little unfinished! total closure isn’t always necessary, as long as you can move forward doing the best you can :)
> 
> please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!! i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which davey reality checks his mother, and our story comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is it!! the final chapter!! i hope everyone has enjoyed this fic so far!
> 
> ending a fic is so bittersweet, bc i'm glad it’s complete, but sad that it’s over :( i had fun with this
> 
> slight content warning for this one: there’s a mention of past suicidal thoughts and it gets a little bit heavy— please watch out for that if you know it might be triggering/upsetting <3

So he'll admit it— Davey Jacobs is the kind of person who likes to ignore his problems until they go away.

When it comes to the dilemma of inevitably having to face his mother and sister after last night's disaster, he decides he'll simply act like nothing even happened and then hope to God that they play along. He has a very strong feeling that this plan isn't going to work, but he can sure as hell try, right?

He procrastinates it by sleeping in, and he knows Sarah will definitely do the same. They _are_ practically the same person, after all.

"I'm not going upstairs." He has an arm thrown over Jack, as if that'll stop him from getting out of bed. "Not yet."

"But it's noon and I'm hungry," whines Jack, rolling over to cuddle into Davey's side and give him the world's best puppy dog eyes— he's a bit hard to say no to. "Just come up and get something to eat with me. Let's have a picnic in the yard! We can make sandwiches and then sit outside and avoid your family if you want to."

Davey sighs heavily, but Jack is looking up at him with his stupidly pretty eyes and a little stubble that accents his freakishly good jawline... apparently he _can_ grow some facial hair. God, it's impossible to say no to him.

"Fine." Davey pauses and runs a hand through Jack's messy hair. "Is it too early to day-drink?"

-

It isn't.

At least by Davey's standards— noon isn't the earliest he's cracked a drink before, since college does some crazy things to a person. There's no one in the kitchen when they get upstairs, so he very inconspicuously pours a White Claw into a coffee tumbler. It's basically soda and it's lunchtime anyways, so this is fine, right?

Jack just rolls his eyes and pours himself some of the lemonade in the fridge, a much more reasonable option.

"Les, I just want you to try, okay?" Esther's gentle voice carries in from the dining room and Davey freezes. She sounds normal. She's being patient and kind and everything Davey usually associates with her. It makes last night feel like it might've been a bizarre nightmare. "You don't even actually have to eat it— just try putting it in your mouth, see if you can bite it. I know it's hard, but you're very brave. I want you to give it a try."

There's a clatter like Les has thrown something on the floor. Davey winces at the noise.

"I can't!" Les squeals, and he sounds so genuinely frustrated that it breaks Davey's heart a little. Like many autistic kids, Les has sensory issues, and his can be particularly bad around food. Different tastes and textures are tough for him, and convincing him to try new things is... difficult. "It looks so _bad_ , Mom!"

Jack looks a little concerned, but Davey just shrugs as if to say _this is perfectly normal_. Les is old enough to understand why he has so much trouble with some foods, and he’s pretty committed to overcoming it and expanding his diet. They’ve got a set schedule of trying one new food every week, and according to the sticker chart on the fridge, today’s item is oranges— a strong flavour and a weird texture.

"We should see if he wants to have a picnic with us," whispers Jack, and Davey can't even handle how much he adores this boy. How is it possible to be so damn sweet? "I mean, once he's done with—" he gestures towards the dining room— "all that."

"I think he'd really like that," Davey replies, keeping his voice low so they can hopefully go unnoticed. He doesn't particularly want to talk to his mother yet, and he'd also rather not interrupt when she's trying to get Les focused on a task. "When I was saying goodnight to him yesterday, he told me he wants you to live with us forever, and then he whispered in my ear: _I think you and Jack should get married_. So I guess that means you're part of the family now— you're stuck with us."

Jack chokes on a laugh as they try to stay quiet. A hint of a blush rises to his cheeks and Davey adores it.

"Well, I can't disappoint the kid," he giggles. "We're gonna have to get hitched."

They make a few sandwiches in silence, while in the other room, Les eventually manages to bite into an orange slice without gagging, which is pretty huge progress. Esther is patient and gentle with him the whole time, so maybe she's in a better mood today. Maybe yesterday was just an off day, and she said things she didn't mean, and everything will be fine now.

As Davey finishes putting together a PB&J to give to Les, he supposes there's only one way to find out. He walks into the dining room and forces himself to smile to disguise his nerves.

"Good morning!" He immediately starts to panic and overthink. "Well... it's not really morning anymore, I guess. It's— um, maybe it's more the afternoon—"

He's cut off by Les jumping up from the table and running over to him.

"Guess what I just did! Mom, tell him! Tell him!"

Davey scoops Les up into his arms, mostly as an excuse to not have to look at his mother. Les likes tight hugs, so Davey does just that, squishing him against his chest. He tries to keep his breathing steady— he's going to act like everything's normal. This is okay.

"We made some new food progress," chuckles Esther, who's preoccupied with tidying up the table. Apparently a step in getting Les comfortable with the texture was to squish some of it in his hands, and now there's orange juice everywhere. "We can add oranges to our list of fruits that might be good for snack time."

Les nods proudly.

"Yep, I ate some, and it didn't even taste bad. I don't know what I was scared about, I like oranges now."

Davey laughs and ruffles Les's hair.

"Well, you know what? Jack and I are gonna go have a picnic in the yard, and we have a sandwich for you too. Maybe we can slice up another orange for us to snack on together."

Davey is surprised his little brother's head doesn't explode with how excited he seems at this idea.

"Can I go pick a spot on the grass to sit!?"

"Go ahead. You and Jack can take the sandwiches out, and I'll cut up an orange and meet you there."

He's off like a rocket, running out the back door the moment Davey sets him down. Jack follows him, carrying the picnic blanket they'd pulled from the bottom of the pantry and their big plate of food. Just as Davey is about to go back to the kitchen, his mother catches his elbow.

"Can we talk, David?"

So much for pretending nothing is wrong.

-

Davey doesn't want to talk. He _doesn't_ want to talk. For some reason, he nods anyways. He doesn't move, though, or turn around to face her. They can talk right here.

"I spoke with your father last night," she eventually says. Her tone is hard to decipher. She almost sounds sorry. "You and Jack are... together?"

Davey swallows thickly. He can't bring himself to look at her just yet.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

He feels bad for being so standoffish, but in a way, he feels likes he's earned the right to be a bit rude. A taste of her own medicine, maybe.

"No, no... he's a lovely young man. I..." She trails off and sighs. "How long have you known? About... your sexuality, that is."

The abrupt question is a little jarring. Davey is caught somewhat off-guard, but he recovers quickly. That’s not really where he saw this conversation going, but maybe if she knows this wasn’t some split-second decision where he suddenly turned gay, she’ll have an easier time understanding him.

"Since ninth grade," he says, trying to control the shake in his voice. "I mean, that's when I started to figure it out. And I was so _scared_ — all I wanted was to be normal. I hated myself for something I couldn't even control. But then I met Jack in September... and I realized I _am_ normal. I'm just me, and being able to fall in love with someone like Jack is part of who I am. It’s never going to change.”

There's a long pause. The air feels thick and Davey knows there's more he needs to get off his chest. He finally looks up, and Esther seems to be thinking it all over with a regretful sort of look on her face.

"I wish I could've been honest with you sooner, but I just wasn't _ready_ ," he continues. "And if fourteen year-old me had heard what you said last night..." He shakes his head. "That I’m a joke, or that I need to be fixed— I'm not sure what I would've done." He has to stop talking for a second, as his throat suddenly feels tight with emotion. _Complete, upfront honesty_ , he reminds himself. He has to keep going. "I was in a bad place already, and I think there's a good chance I would've taken my own life. You really, _really_ hurt me, Mama."

The silence is stone-cold now. Davey's chest feels tight— he can't believe he just admitted that, and from the look that crosses his mother's face, she can't believe it either.

“Oh, David…”

She steps forward like she’s moving to hug him, but he instinctively takes a step back. He still feels so betrayed, he doesn’t want her affection right now.

“If you really do mean everything you said…that’s fine.” He tries to channel every bit of confidence he can muster. “It’s your problem, if you can’t love me the way I am. But don’t patronize me by trying to act like you’re sorry, if you’re not. Just be honest with me and I’ll respect that.”

It’s quiet again for a moment.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice is hardly above a whisper. “I… I really am. I don’t know how to apologize without making excuses— there _is_ no excuse for how I acted last night. I was so caught up in all this prejudice, that I shouldn’t even be hanging onto in the first place, and it was unfair that I took it out on you.” She sighs deeply. “I need to know… are you happy, David? With who you are?”

Davey suddenly feels very small and insecure. As much as he’d tried to play it off like he doesn’t care, he really does want his mother’s love.

“Yes… but I’d be happier if you’d accept me.”

Silence again while she nods, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes.

“I see.” She takes a deep breath. “I love you, David. Nothing could ever, ever, change that. If this is who you are, that’s perfectly okay. While maybe I don’t understand it, I’m willing to learn, and I’m so proud that you have the confidence to be yourself.”

So it’s not the perfect reaction— there’s a weird undertone of confused homophobia that’ll probably take some time to unlearn— but it’s better than nothing. Davey almost laughs as he finally accepts the hug.

“Thank you,” he whispers, overcome with relief. “I really appreciate that.”

They stay there for a second before finally letting go.

“Les is probably waiting for that orange,” she chuckles, and _now_ they can finally act like they things are normal again. They nearly are. “You should get out there.”

-

“So then what colour is this?” Davey cocks an eyebrow in confusion as he walks outside to see Jack pointing to the grass as he talks to Les. “It’s one of the ones we just said— it starts with V.”

Les thinks it over for a moment and then grins.

“ _Verde_ , right?” His accent is terrible, but he’s doing his best. He lights up when he sees Davey coming. “There you are! Finally! Jack was teaching me Spanish while we waited for you!”

Davey laughs as he joins them on the blanket and sets the plate of orange slices down.

“Oh sweet, how do you say orange?”

Les obviously doesn’t know, and he looks to Jack expectantly. Jack whispers in his ear and Les nods.

“ _Naranja_ ,” he replies, terribly mispronounced but very proud of himself.

“Good job,” Jack says anyways, ruffling Les’s hair. “You’ll be a regular Dora the Explorer in no time.”

As they eat their lunch and Jack continues to teach Les a few more words of Spanish, Davey feels incredibly content. He leans over to rest his head on Jack’s shoulder and intertwine their free hands, since they don’t have to hide anymore. 

Maybe coming out didn’t go exactly how he planned it, but it worked itself out. He was always rather sure it would. There’s just one more person he needs to settle things with.

He looks up at the house to see Sarah sitting in her bedroom, staring at her phone. He rolls his eyes and pulls his own phone out.

_come outside, you look like a loser_

He watches her get the text, look out the window, flip him off, and then leave her room to come join them. She’s outside a few moments later.

With Sarah, they really can pretend nothing happened. While maybe they don’t have actual twin telepathy, there’s still a connection there— when they make eye contact, they simultaneously agree that all is forgiven. Maybe they’ll talk about it eventually, maybe they’ll just forgive and forget, but for now they can definitely put it all behind them because everything worked out fine.

“Are sisters allowed at your picnic, or is it boys only?” she asks as she approaches.

Les scoots over to make room for her.

“Come sit!” He holds up an orange slice with a huge smile. Apparently he has a new favourite food. “Look what I’m eating!”

“Woah, that’s new!” says Sarah, as he settles herself next to him. “Good job, buddy.”

The rest of the afternoon is very, very nice.

They eat their picnic, play a little game of soccer (which Jack is much better at than baseball, something he blames on his Mexican genes), and then it ends up so warm out in the late afternoon that they even turn the sprinklers on and run around the yard to cool off.

Jack and Davey settle themselves in the shade under the treehouse after a while, dripping wet and still laughing. When he’s pretty sure no one is looking, Davey presses a long kiss to Jack’s lips. God, he missed being able to do that without having to hide.

Of course, they get caught.

“You _are_ in love!” screeches Les, who has exited the house with a pile of towels at just the right time. “I knew it!”

This catches Sarah’s attention, where she’s sunbathing on the deck, and she sits up to stare at them.

“Hey, I wasn’t even allowed to hold hands at home last time I had a boyfriend!” she shouts. “Who said you two could make out!?”

Davey can feel himself blush bright red and he hides his face in Jack’s neck, while Jack just laughs hysterically at his embarrassment.

“Isn’t it nice to have the whole family know?” he giggles, which makes Davey groan. “Now they’re never gonna leave us alone.”

Davey will pretend to hate it, but he’s secretly so glad to be teased by his siblings, because knows it comes from a place of love. He knows his parents will probably join in on it too at some point, and he’ll honestly just be relieved that they can all laugh about it.

He’s so, so happy to be surrounded by all this love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHDHCHFHCGVGBDGFD ITS OVER!!!! 
> 
> i’m so happy with how this fic turned out and i can’t thank you guys enough for all the nice comments and messages along the way!! i really loved writing this!!!
> 
> quarantine is pretty much over where i live (as long as there’s not a crazy second wave now that things are opening up) so i feel like i finished this right on time ;) i hope everyone’s keeping safe and staying positive!!
> 
> drop a comment if you’d like, or come say hi on tumblr (@thefactsofthematter)!


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